Ben Foster – Nerdisthttp://nerdist.com
Fri, 09 Dec 2016 13:00:33 +0000en-UShourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=4.6.1Tom Hanks Says Dante’s INFERNO Invented the Modern-Day Horror Filmhttp://nerdist.com/tom-hanks-says-dantes-inferno-invented-the-modern-day-horror-film/
Sun, 30 Oct 2016 18:00:46 +0000http://nerdist.com/?p=452694As Halloween approaches, many moviegoers will be looking for a scary cinematic offering to enjoy while October comes to a close. We have an offbeat suggestion: taking a break from portraying David S. Pumpkins this weekend is Tom Hanks, whose latest movie, Inferno, is in theaters now and is more seasonally appropriate than you might expect. Hanks is once again Robert Langdon, the beloved character first introduced in Dan Brown’s novel Angels & Demons, and who has since appeared in three additional books and three films. All of those movies were directed by Academy Award winner Ron Howard, but this one has felt just a little bit different from its predecessors, due in large part to its horror and historical influences.

Using Dante’s Inferno and the classic Botticelli painting as inspiration, Howard, Hanks, and series newcomer Felicity Jones are led on a dangerous excursion through Italy, stopping off at a few other world landmarks along the way. While it’s not necessarily your traditional Halloween offering, the influence of horror imagery in this film can’t be ignored; Hanks and Howard believe Dante’s Inferno to be the biggest influence over modern horror today, and much of that can be seen in their movie of the same name. I had the chance to sit down with them, as well as Felicity Jones, Ben Foster, and Omar Sy to discuss these influences, which make this particular Robert Langdon adaptation unlike its predecessors.

Watch our conversation now and don’t miss Inferno, now playing in theaters everywhere!

Featured Image Credit: Sony Pictures

]]>Ron Howard is All Of Us, Hopes for a WILLOW TV Showhttp://nerdist.com/ron-howard-is-all-of-us-hopes-for-a-willow-tv-show/
Tue, 25 Oct 2016 23:00:23 +0000http://nerdist.com/?p=451248It’s safe to say that few people in the entertainment industry have had a career like Ron Howard‘s. As an actor, Howard has starred on two iconic television shows–The Andy Griffith Show and Happy Days–and as a director, he has worked over several decades to become one of the most in demand and acclaimed visionaries of his generation. From classic comedies like Splash, Parenthood, and EdTV to Oscar caliber dramas that include Apollo 13, A Beautiful Mind, and Cinderella Man to edge-of-your-seat thrillers like Ransom and The Da Vinci Code movies, the reach of Howard’s work includes many genres and pools of unparalleled talent.

But for me, there’s one movie that stands above the rest and holds a very special place in my heart: Willow. Based on a story by George Lucas and starring Warwick Davis, Val Kilmer, Joanne Whalley, and Jean Marsh, for me, Willow is a fantasy epic filled with laughs, scares, and pure magic. It’s become a running joke around the Nerdist offices that Willow by some weird coincidence makes its way into a lot of my junket interviews: from Chris Hemsworth and Jessica Chastain talking about how the 1988 adventure influenced them while making The Huntsman: Winter’s War to Bryce Dallas Howard comparing the dragons featured in this summer’s Pete’s Dragon with the two-headed monster from her dad’s movie. So naturally, when it came time for me to sit down with Mr. Howard to discuss Inferno, based on the Dan Brown novel of the same name and starring Tom Hanks and Felicity Jones, I had to take the opportunity to talk to him about it.

Much to my delight, Howard seemed to remember the film fondly and discuss what he learned while making the movie. He also mentioned that now that Disney happens to own Lucasfilm, the future of the franchise rests in their hands. And he’d like to return to that universe just as much as I would, but maybe in a different medium…

]]>Jeff Bridges, Chris Pine, and More on Making a Modern Westernhttp://nerdist.com/hell-or-high-water-chris-pine-jeff-bridges-ben-foster/
Tue, 09 Aug 2016 20:00:31 +0000http://nerdist.com/?p=427515In Hell or High Water, two brothers begin a crime spree to save their family’s finances in West Texas. Toby (Chris Pine) is a divorced dad who is trying to make sure his kids have a better life than he did. Tanner (Ben Foster) is a wild card, fresh out of jail and a bit of a loose cannon. A local bank is trying to foreclose on their family’s land, where oil has been discovered, so the brothers begin to rob all the branches of the bank, to pay them back with their own money. On the other side of the law, nearly-retired Texas Ranger Marcus (Jeff Bridges) and his partner Alberto (Gil Birmingham) try to track the brothers down after a robbery gone wrong. This modern day western is directed by David Mackenzie, and we recently set off for Austin, Texas to chat with the movie’s stars about bringing this film to life.

Hell or High Water gives a look at some questionable morality and no one is completely good or bad here. Okay, maybe Alberto is good, but each character has some pretty serious issues. Marcus just can’t seem to give up his job as a Ranger, and spends a lot of the movie flinging racial slurs at Alberto, who he clearly considers his closest friend. He feels like he’s on the side of the law and what the bank is doing to the people of West Texas isn’t a factor. Tanner has some pretty terrible methods of keeping a lid on things, but he’s out to save his brother’s family. Toby loves his brother, but is doing the right thing in the wrong way. We discuss the morality of the characters, their choices, and even the crazy stunt driving they had to do for the film. Director David Mackenzie also talks about Texas as a character and what it all means.

Check out our interviews and let us know what you think. Hell or High Water opens in theaters in limited release on August 12 and goes wide on August 19.

Are you guys excited to see the film? Are you looking forward to watching Captain Kirk and the Dude face off in cowboy hats? Tweet me/us @JennaBusch/@Nerdist and let us know! We’d also love to hear about your favorite Western of all time.

Image: CBS Films and Lionsgate

]]>What We Learned on the Set of WARCRAFThttp://nerdist.com/what-we-learned-on-the-set-of-warcraft/
Fri, 06 Nov 2015 20:00:37 +0000http://nerdist.com/?p=327901Adapting the Warcraft universe into a feature film is, to put it mildly, no easy task. The Blizzard Entertainment franchise has been around for over twenty years and includes Warcraft: Orcs and Humans, Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness, Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos, World of Warcraft, andHearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Those titles, which range from online RPGs to real-time strategy games to digital collectible card games, have spawned comics, novels, fan fiction, cosplay, and much more — all of which populate BlizzCon, Blizzard’s annual convention. The characters, creatures, and lore of Warcraft encompasses different species and stories all with their own unique origins, so much so that WoW champions might not even play Hearthstone, and vice versa. Even for someone loosely familiar with the universe of Warcraft, a film adaptation seems downright daunting. Luckily for us, there is a true Warcraft aficionado at the helm: director Duncan Jones.

Jones, known for his work on the incredible sci-fi flick Moon and his adaptation of Philip K. Dick’s Source Code, is taking on his biggest project yet with Warcraft. In order to condense the lore into a gateway for Warcraft fans and novice viewers alike, he chose to focus on the beginning of the series, and the high-fantasy world of Azeroth. The universe is filled with two main rival factions, the Alliance (comprised here of human lords, ladies, and warriors), and the Horde, an unstoppable army of orcs, giant creatures who entered Azeroth through a mysterious dark portal. Their arrival kicks off the titular war, and those who have played the games usually have very strict allegiances to one side or the other. (Even non-players should recognize Warcraft‘s most beloved war cries, “For the Horde!” and “For the Alliance!”) And in Warcraft the film, Jones assembled a cast of players to populate this world and make it their own, including Dominic Cooper (Agent Carter), Rob Kazinsky (Pacific Rim), Ben Foster (X-Men: The Last Stand), Toby Kebbell (Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Fantastic Four), Paula Patton (Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol), Travis Fimmel (Vikings), and Anna Galvin (Draka).

Nearly two years ago, Nerdist and other members of the press were invited to Vancouver, Canada to speak with some of the cast and crew, explore the massive practical sets, watch a scene being filmed, and learn all about the making of the film. With the first trailer released today at BlizzCon, we thought it was only fitting that we share some of what we learned about Warcraft on our set visit. (Plus, the embargo lifts today.)

Warcraft is very much a human story

And no, we don’t mean that it’s all about the Alliance. Warcraft wisely tells the origins of the Alliance vs. the Horde war from both sides. The two lead protagonists of the film are Sir Anduin Lothar (Travis Fimmel), a stoic warrior for the Alliance, and Durotan (Toby Kebbell), the fierce yet morally conflicted Chieftain of the orcs’ exiled Frostwolf clan. And though war stories often only focus on one perspective, Warcraft is very much about both sides of a struggle for power and ownership of Azeroth. “There are three factions,” said Dominic Cooper, who plays the human king Llane Wrynn. “And you are unsure. It begs the question, who is responsible? Who owns this land? And who should we back? And are we always backing the right person immediately?”

The two sides are dealing not only with outside threats of human and orc, but internal power struggles from friends and foes alike. Not everyone is who they seem, and not everyone has their people’s best interest at heart. “What’s really great is the wise decision that Duncan [Jones] and everybody made was [that] the Horde aren’t villains in this,”Rob Kazinsky, who plays famed Orc warrior Orgrim Doomhammer, shared. “There’s no evil here. There’s just different motivations for us. And I think and I hope that people will really be like, ‘I don’t know, man. The Horde — I like them, [I like] that Durotan. You’re going to be torn between these two sides in two regards.”

Caught between the Alliance and the Horde is Garona, played by the delightfully badass Paula Patton. Garona is half human and half orc, and was raised amongst the orcs. She’s a survivor, a fighter, but she’s also in the middle of this brewing war. Throughout the course of the film, Garona “finds herself in the human world. And suddenly, they warm her heart. Things change, and she changes,” Patton explained. “But she never quite fits in, in either world… The interesting thing that you’ll see as you watch the movie is how she transforms within that world… and how she finds her place, if at all.”

Though we were not privy to specific plot details (movies like this are always cloaked in secrecy), loyalty and motivation are definitely major themes of the story. No one is purely good nor bad, and many of the actors we spoke with admitted that their characters go through major arcs and transitions. Kazinsky’s Orgrim is defiantly against the humans, but does he stay that way? Are the friends and allies we grew up with truly looking after our best interest, or does power destroy even the closest bond? Toby Kebbell in Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

The orc motion capture is unlike anything we’ve ever seen before

By now you’ve seen the images of Warcraft‘s orcs in action, but the process of creating these creatures was much more than just your run-of-the-mill motion capture (though, is motion capture ever run-of-the-mill?). The actors playing the orcs don the usual attire — silly, pajamas-looking skintight clothes with little balls to track motion – but in Warcraft, the motion-capture is recorded and roughly rendered in real time. So while we watched an epic battlefield sequence, horses and all, we got to watch the orcs charge forward in real-time, and witness their characters being sketched out on screen. The software that they use “tracks and solves the actor’s motion, and also… retargets the actor’s motion onto the character’s skeleton. So we get to test it for real-time display. It’s kind of a game-level version of the character, basically.” They also render the background and the live-action set pieces, with the digital mo-cap orcs on top. It gives more of “a feeling of the real integration of virtual and physical worlds.” Everything feels that much more real and three-dimensional.

And according to the actors themselves, this kind of motion-capture work truly helps them create and portray these characters. Toby Kebbell, the lead orc protagonist, is no stranger to the world of motion-capture, and was a bit of a touchstone for the other actors. After working with Warcraft‘s movement choreographer Terry Notary on Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, Kebbell said portraying orcs was an even deeper challenge. With the Apes films, the actors had something to base their performances off of, but with orcs, they had to start from scratch. Not only did they put on those fun mo-cap pajamas, Kebbell, Kazinsky, Patton, and Galvin, and the other orcs were built into giant mech-like cages that elevated them to hulking orc stature.

“[Terry Notary] starts with the absolute basics of literally breathing, standing, sitting, standing again, and then walking, maybe running, but really digging deep and being repetitive so that it becomes natural,” shared Anna Galvin. “And he’ll use the same terms all the time. Sink into your first, which means sink into your first position, which is becoming rooted to the Earth and orc-like and getting your breathing right before you even–way before they’ve said, ‘Action.'”

Kebbell agreed, adding, “He has a thing where he says, ‘You’re selling out,’ which is where you’re doing the version that is comfortable. And the horrible thing about doing this, like doing all these movement animal being beasts, is the uncomfortable version is the best version.”

Kazinsky especially was worried about creating Orgrim with motion-capture, especially when you’re in “pajamas with this silly thing on your head.” But when he finally saw a near-final rendering of his character with all the effects, “it didn’t look like it was mo-cap. It didn’t look CGI. It looked like somebody was wearing really high-class prosthetics.” He added, “What I was astonished by was that every little tick, every–however subtle–what I did came through on his face. That jazzed me up like you couldn’t believe. I was seeing this thing, and it was real for the first time. There was Orgrim Doomhammer on the screen, and I’m controlling him. And I was like, ‘Man, that’s just like–it’s real. It’s real. This is a real thing.'”

The Sets and Weapons are Almost Entirely Practical

While on set in Vancouver, we were taken on a tour of the facilities, which included a massive orc clan village in Draenor, a battlefield the size of a football field, a truck filled with practical weapons (which we took turns wielding with reckless abandon), and of course, the Throne Room. In addition to the motion-capture adding to the look and feel of the Warcraft universe, Duncan Jones insisted on using practical effects whenever possible. And while Orgrim’s infamous Doomhammer is too large for Kazinsky to carry in all his scenes, they do bring in the real deal for certain shots — to Kanzinsky’s utter delight. “Sometimes when the hammer’s in an actual shot, I’ve had to smash things, and they’ll get the hammer. They bring in the real Doomhammer. And there are a lot of Easter eggs in terms of the weaponry and armor design. A lot of that stuff I have, you know, Lionheart Executioners, and Ashbringers, and all of the orc weapons.”

… Robert Kazinsky Is a Huge Warcraft Nerd

Ok, we knew this part already. But man, Robert Kazinsky is a HUGE Warcraft nerd. He has over 450 DAYS played, apparently lost a girlfriend over his gaming habit, and has several max-level characters.

I had every class at 80 and 85, currently have five 90's, main is a DK and has been since 3.1, one of the good ones though.

When speaking about the weapons and locations from the film, Kazinsky was visibly elated as she shared what it was like to be a part of this world. “The first set I saw was Goldshire Inn–Lion’s Pride Inn. And they were shooting a scene in the middle of there, and–it might actually have been a sex scene. [And] they had so many little Easter eggs in there that I got excited about…. Anyone who has played the game has probably been to the Lion’s Pride Inn once or twice. I’ve been in the Throne Room. Like, I’ve spent a LOT of time in that particular room. And then, going into that Throne Room and being like, ‘This is it. This is the Throne Room. This is, I think, Seer’s Quest. This is everything. This is–‘ I mean, I’ve killed Wrynn before, you know… for the Horde.” Yes, Rob. For the Horde!

He added that it’s been wonderful to see his love of the game culminate in this film, because “you play a game online 18 hours a day for a year and a half of your life, you tend to be a bit of a loner. You don’t meet people or work with people often in that respect, and I didn’t. But, here I am, and I’m working with people that share that passion, and being able to share that passion with people has been the best part of this game for me.”

Kazinsky isn’t the only Warcraft fanboy working on this film, though. Director Duncan Jones and his producing partner Stuart Fenegan are both massive fans of the series. Every detail, every painstakingly crafted costume and set piece, the characters and the story, all stem from their love of Warcraft. And with so many moving parts, it would take a couple of fans to really do it right. Dominic Cooper shared that Duncan was so calm throughout the whole thing, it lifted a bit of the pressure off the cast. After all, there are so many expectations with an adaptation like this. People have been playing the games and living in the universe for over two decades. What if they mess something up?

Adapting Warcraft Is Daunting, But the Cast is SO Excited for This Movie

Like we mentioned earlier, there’s a lot to take into account when you’re adapting something like Warcraft. The cast and creators were understandably a little nervous to take on something so beloved. Cooper, who is no stranger to extreme fandoms, admitted, “It’s quite a frightening thing to embark upon, just because you feel I suppose in some ways a responsibility just to get it right, because you’re aware that it means such a great deal to so many. And to be part of that, I feel so privileged.”

But how do you market a movie like this? Anyone who has played the game definitely has set expectations and biases, but anyone who hasn’t played might feel overwhelmed by all the lore. Resident Warcraft expert Rob Kazinsky shared that he hopes people will look beyond the fact that this is a computer game movie. “If we can get people to come and see this, then the second film is already there. And it’s a beautiful story, it’s epic, if you know what happens. If we get a chance to tell that story, it’s impossible to be disappointed with where we’re going to go.”

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We may still be in the dark about many of the story details, but honestly, in the day and age of plot points being spoiled in trailers and TV spots, we’re ok with a little mystery. From what we’ve seen and heard so far, it sounds like the movie is at least in the right, passionate, die-hard fans’ hands.

Stay tuned for more of our set visit coverage from Warcraft, let us know what you’re most excited to see in the comments below, and don’t stay tuned our breakdown of the brand new trailer on today’s Nerdist News!

]]>The Cast of WARCRAFT Invades Comic-Con to Talk Bringing Azeroth to Lifehttp://nerdist.com/the-cast-of-warcraft-invades-comic-con-to-talk-bringing-azeroth-to-life/
Tue, 21 Jul 2015 14:00:49 +0000http://nerdist.com/?p=280209Whether you’re Horde or Alliance, there’s one thing that we can all agree on — we want to see Duncan Jones’ epic Warcraft movie with a fiery passion. I’m talking Ragnaros fiery, you guys. Diehard fans who braved the lines for Legendary’s Hall H panel were treated to a whopping seven minutes of footage from the film. While that’s all well and good, not all of us were so lucky to be in that hallowed hall; fortunately, we did one better by bringing the cast and crew of Warcraft to the Nerdist Conival at Petco Park where they sat down and talked all things Azeroth with our own Michele Morrow (a.k.a. the dulcet tones behind Hearthstone‘s Alleria Windrunner).

With legendary characters like Durotan, Orgrim Doomhammer, Anduin Lothar, Medivh, and many more making their big screen debut, there are plenty of reasons to be excited about Blizzard’s first major feature film adaptation. The film itself, for those not in the know, will chronicle the first encounter between Humans and Orcs. The orc homeworld is dying, ravaged by death and disaster, prompting the Horde to look for greener pastures. To do so, they turn to the warlock Gul’dan, who opens a massive portal to the human realm of Azeroth. Of course, like any evil spell worth its salt, Gul’dan’s poral is powered by extracting the souls from hundreds upon hundreds of slaves, or “fuel for the fel,” as he calls them. (Fun fact: the Fel is evil magic derived from demon’s blood with a tendency to corrupt its user.) Of course, when an invading armada of axe-wielding, green-skinned monsters comes to town, the Humans are forced to respond in kind…

While you’ll have to wait until June 10, 2016 to see Warcraft, at least there’s a graphic novel coming a few weeks earlier. In the meantime, you can always roll a new toon and join the Nerdist guild on Thorium Brotherhood. Come on, you know you want to…

Are you excited for Warcraft? What do you hope to see in the film? Let us know in the comments below.

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Editor’s note: Nerdist is a subsidiary of Legendary Digital Networks.

]]>Zug, Zug! WARCRAFT Movie Panel Invades BlizzConhttp://nerdist.com/zug-zug-warcraft-movie-panel-invades-blizzcon/
http://nerdist.com/zug-zug-warcraft-movie-panel-invades-blizzcon/#commentsSat, 08 Nov 2014 01:30:04 +0000http://www.nerdist.com/?p=199177Not even a level 103 raid boss could keep the hordes (and alliances) of eager Warcraft fans from descending on Anaheim today for BlizzCon. While people were losing their minds over the Pixar-meets-Team Fortress action of newly announced FPS Overwatch, the highlight was definitely the panel about Legendary’s hotly anticipated, Duncan Jones-directed Warcraft film, which was moderated by our own Chris Hardwick. Special guests Jones, VFX supervisor Bill Westenhofer, Blizzard SVP of Story and Franchise Development Chris Metzen, and eventually actor Rob Kazinsky were all in the house to talk about bringing the sprawling franchise to life.

A longtime Blizzard fan and World of Warcraft player, Duncan Jones was thrilled to be working on the project. “When I heard that Sam Raimi was working on a World of Warcraft film, I was so excited and so jealous that he would get a chance to do that. Then fate found a way for me to take over,” he said. Jones had his work cut out for him. “There was a preexisting project that Sam Raimi had been doing, but it was very human-centric, very Alliance-centric. It didn’t put the orcs in the best light,” Jones recalled. “I thought it was very important that the film allowed you to be on either side of the conflict.”

Evidently, Jones was just what the doctor ordered. The story centers on Lothar and Durotan, who are heroes of the human and orcs respectively, and how they find themselves drawn into an inescapable conflict. Clearly, an even-handed storytelling approach was of paramount importance. Chris Metzen recalls when Jones first boarded the project that they had already tried a couple different routes on this film and their comfort level wasn’t great. “This movie has to be 50% Alliance, 50% Horde.” Those were, evidently the magic words as far as the Blizzard team was concerned.

The film wrapped production back in April, but they are toiling away with the extensive VFX work required. Still, Metzen couldn’t help gushing over an early cut. “There’s a scene where the world’s gone to hell and Durotan is in his tent with his pregnant wife and he’s sitting in the dark, looking into the shadows, and Draka is sleeping; he’s just looking off into the distance,” Metzen excitedly recounted. “There is just a universe of depth in his eyes. It took me straight into the animus of the stories. A breathing, living person. A dad, a husband. Then I’m like, ‘Oh my god, I’m looking at an Orc. What did you do to me?!'”

With such a massive world to bring to life, staying true to the source material was important to Jones. “The most important thing is to be working as closely with [Blizzard] as possible. We needed them to be our Yodas,” he said with a laugh. “We have so many special effects. It’s Avatar and Lord of the Rings at the same time,” Jones explained matter-of-factly. The VFX are being approached with a very naturalistic approach, according to Westenhofer, who has been playing since Warcraft II and the World of Warcraft alpha. Still, as an Alliance player, he feels a little guilty. “Can I really do justice to the Orcs? It’s the enemy,” he said. “Out of respect for all of you who have ganked me, we’re delivering some really good Orcs.” The Horde players in the audience cheered.

The VFX work is quite impressive, but so are the practical effects. Anchoring the panel on either side was a collection of Horde and Alliance armor that would make any cosplayer turn green with envy. Of the massive sets, Metzen mentioned a very special day on location for him: “I got to stand in the middle of the main street in Stormwind. There’s the mailbox. There were tears in my eyes.” As a former Alliance player myself, I feel you, bro.

They also confirmed a variety of characters; much of the casting was already known, but it was cool to see some of the character renders like Rob Kazinsky’s Orgrim and Dominic Cooper’s King Llane.

Lothar is our Alliance lead and will be played by Vikings star Travis Fimmel. In Metzen’s mind, Fimmel is a bit younger than he’d pictured Lothar as being, but the actor brought a tremendous amount of depth to the role. Additionally, Ben Foster will be playing Medivh, a human magus charged with guarding mankind from the Burning Legion. Though the slides went out of order at this point, Rob Kazinsky will be playing Orgrim, Daniel Wu will be Gul’dan, Clancy Brown will be playing Blackhand (and was the voice of Thrall in the never-released Warcraft Adventures), Ben Schnetzer will be Khadgar, Paula Patton is Garona, Ruth Negga will be Lady Taria, and Dominic Cooper will be King Llane.

The highlight of all the casting announcements though was when Rob Kazinsky himself came out wielding a massive replica of the Doomhammer. After a thunderous applause break, Kazinsky recounted his experience playing the game. “I started in Burning Crusade as a warrior,” he said with a smile. He has also played a Death Knight since patch 3.1 in a world top 100 guild, and has over 500 days played on his account. He also namedropped more armor sets than I could write down. Clearly, the man knows his stuff.

For Kazinsky, working on Warcraft was a dream come true, and being at BlizzCon to share that was overwhelming for the actor. “I’ve been to BlizzCon before as a fan,” said Kazinsky, “and this is very much a case of one of us getting to do this.” What will we see from his portrayal of Orgrim? “Obviously, Orgrim is the best character in the lore. He’s the most handsome,” he said jokingly. “I love playing him. You’ve got Durotan who is the wise, all-seeing chief, and you have the hard bastard next to him. Not very bright. You see the evolution of Orgrim from being someone’s brother, someone’s best friend to being a leader in his own right.”

Though they didn’t show any new footage or trailers at the panel (you have to be at BlizzCon in person to see clips), they did trot out a massive boom mic in order to record some battle cries from the assembled audience. Let me tell you — the reverberations of thousands of people screaming “For the Alliance!”, “For the Horde!”, and “For Azeroth!” were palpable, if not deafening. Of the long, winding road to bringing the world of Azeroth to the big screen, Metzen, perhaps, put it best: “To finally see this thing come together, fried every single circuit I had.” We’ll have to wait until March 2016 to have our circuits fried, but this is a good head start. In the meantime, you can visit http://fightforthehorde.com or http://fightforthealliance.com to pledge your allegiance and draw battle lines.

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What do you think of all the announcements thus far? Let us know in the comments below!

]]>http://nerdist.com/zug-zug-warcraft-movie-panel-invades-blizzcon/feed/3Get Your First Look At WARCRAFT at SDCC at the Legendary Boothhttp://nerdist.com/get-your-first-look-at-warcraft-at-sdcc-at-the-legendary-booth/
Thu, 24 Jul 2014 22:00:57 +0000http://www.nerdist.com/?p=169491In the next few years we’re going to begin seeing a new wave of video game-inspired films, and, without a doubt, one of the most highly anticipated of which is Duncan Jones’ upcoming Warcraft. Based on Blizzard’s expansive Warcraft/World of Warcraft universe, the new film will sport a script co-written by Jones and Charles Leavitt, and a cast that includes the likes of Ben Foster, Travis Fimmel, Paula Patton, Dominic Cooper, Toby Kebbell and Rob Kazinsky. Of course, because it’s Comic-Con weekend, Legendary wasn’t going to miss a chance to bring their new fantasy epic to San Diego, and that’s why today we’re here to tell you that, if you have the time, you should take a trip over to the Legendary booth (#3920) to get a look at some of the weapons featured in the film.

According to the studio, the booth will give fans that first look at both the film’s logo and the legendary items like the Doomhammer, Dragon Sword and Lion Shield, in addition to holding a “Golden Ticket Giveaway” that will offer one winner the chance to meet director Duncan Jones on Saturday at the booth.

“To win the “Golden Ticket,” fans will need to go to the Blizzard activation #Lootcrazy, where they will be directed to the Legendary booth to take a picture the movie assets and share it on social media using the hashtag. They will then bring the photo to the Blizzard booth at allotted times for redemption. Within the redemption time on Friday, from 5-7pm one golden ticket will be hidden in the prizing goodie bag for a fan winner.”

So, go forth, kick Azeroth, take names, and who knows? You might just find yourself a Lich King for a day.

Are you excited for Warcraft? Let us know in the comments below!

]]>Review: LONE SURVIVORhttp://nerdist.com/review-lone-survivor/
http://nerdist.com/review-lone-survivor/#commentsMon, 13 Jan 2014 23:00:17 +0000http://www.nerdist.com/?p=100184The short review: Balancing the chest-thumping and jingoism inherent to many military films with raw emotion and an emphasis on the relationships between men in an extraordinary situation, Lone Survivor is a triumph.

The long review: Beautiful vistas? Check. Taylor Kitsch? Check. Sweeping soundtrack from post-rock gods Explosions in the Sky? Check. Yep, this is definitely a Peter Berg film, and I mean that in the best way possible. Walking a delicate tightrope between documentarian and dramatist, Peter Berg takes a harrowing real life tale of survival and elevates it to become an electrifying, profoundly compelling cinematic experience without falling into the pitfalls of getting overly schmaltzy or jingoistic. It may seem a bit heavy-handed at times, but ultimately Lone Survivor is a success thanks to a dynamite cast, Berg’s direction, and the film’s uniquely haunting charms.

Based on the memoir of the same name by former Navy SEAL Marcus Luttrell, Lone Survivor follows the events of “Operation Red Wings,” a reconnaissance mission in Afghanistan’s Kunar province intended to locate a Taliban warlord. The mission was compromised when Luttrell and his three squadmates were discovered by local goatherders, leading to a pitched battle on a rocky mountainside that claimed the lives of Luttrell’s squadmates and others in the rescue effort that followed. It was the single largest loss of life of Navy Special Warfare forces since World War II, a tragedy by all accounts underlined by a story of miraculous, unrelenting survival.

Yet, rather than being a film about the conflict itself, Lone Survivor is an exploration of the brotherhood forged in war and the cruel effects it can wreak on soldiers and citizens on both sides of the fray. Of particular note, the camaraderie between the four leads of Lone Survivor is papable. Mark Wahlberg, Ben Foster, Taylor Kitsch, and Emile Hirsch gave it their all and their commitment has paid off in spades, creating an immersive sense of the brotherhood, moral crisis and sacrifice shared between these men. Likewise, Berg’s portrayal of the Taliban and Afghani villages is even-handed, a laudable feat considering how easy it would have been to make them a monolithic evil.

The centerpiece of the film is a nearly 30-minute firefight, yet much of it is spent furthering character development and cementing the protagonists’ relationships. Honoring the memory of these fallen men while crafting an entertaining, big budget picture is a seemingly Herculean task for Berg, but he manages to toe the line quite well, thanks in part to copious research and constant advice from men like Luttrell, who served as a consultant on the film. Clearly, these are men who Berg idolizes and places upon a pedestal, and that may turn certain viewers off, but if you’re willing to look past your qualms and accept the film for what it is, then it is quite a powerful piece of cinema.

In short, Lone Survivor is a harrowing, breathtaking experience that will send your heart rate soaring higher than a chain smoker in spin class. It’s a powerful film, for sure, and one of the starkest portrayals of the brotherhood forged in the heat of battle you’ll see up on the big screen. Its greatest battle is one with itself between honoring the memories of the fallen and creating a big budget blockbuster, but thanks to Berg’s leadership and heartfelt performances, it is one where audiences emerge the victor.

Did you see the film? Let us know what you think in the comments below.

]]>http://nerdist.com/review-lone-survivor/feed/4Meet the Man Behind LONE SURVIVOR, Marcus Luttrellhttp://nerdist.com/meet-the-man-behind-lone-survivor-marcus-luttrell/
http://nerdist.com/meet-the-man-behind-lone-survivor-marcus-luttrell/#commentsThu, 09 Jan 2014 16:00:07 +0000http://www.nerdist.com/?p=104650Marcus Luttrell is many things. He is a proud Texan. He is a retired Navy SEAL, decorated with the Navy Cross. He is an advocate for active duty and veteran military members through organizations like the Patriot Tour and the Lone Survivor Foundation. He is a best-selling author. And now, the 38-year-old Texan is the subject of a major motion picture from Universal and Friday Night Lights director Peter Berg, Lone Survivor.

The film, which I greatly enjoyed, is based on Luttrell’s best-selling 2007 memoir of the same name; It tells the story of “Operation Red Wings,” a botched four-man military operation in 2005 in northeastern Afghanistan’s Kunar province that fell apart when several goat herders accidentally discovered the SEALs on a reconnaissance mission. The mission resulted in the biggest single loss of life for Naval Special Warfare forces since World War II, namely Luttrell’s three squadmates.

The SEALs aborted the mission and released the civilians, which in turn lead to a swift ambush by the Taliban, a pitched battle that sent them tumbling down a rocky mountainside. Luttrell’s three fellow SEALs were killed in action, Luttrell himself was badly injured, and the ensuing rescue effort left 16 more men dead. His story is, by turns, miraculous and tragic, and the man himself is immensely humble, seeing his memoir and the film as a chance to honor his fallen brothers’ memory.

Recently, I had the chance to interview Luttrell, who served as a consultant on the film, making himself present for nearly every single day of filming, and I was quite nervous in the days leading up to it. What could I say to this man who has endured so much? As it turns out, Luttrell is a very nice, insightful guy, a good ol’ Texas boy who insisted on calling me “sir.” The entire time I was thinking, “There are no circumstances under which you should be calling me ‘sir’; you’re the one worthy of respect here.” But that’s just the kind of guy Marcus Luttrell is — polite, disciplined, honorable.

Nerdist: Hello, Marcus. How are you doing today?

Marcus Luttrell: Good. How you doing?

N: I’m doing well. Thank you for taking the time to talk to me. I really appreciate it.

ML: Yes, sir.

N: First and foremost, I want to say thank you very much for your service. Also, thank you for letting this film get made. I was very moved by it. I haven’t read your book, but I thought it was a very powerful account — a very moving film.

ML: Thank you, sir.

N: So I want to know, how did Peter Berg first approach you about the project, and what made you decide to move forward with it as a film adaptation?

ML: Well, I was in L.A. in meetings with other producers and directors when the guy who brought me up there said, “Hey, there’s a director we would like you to meet. He’s showing a movie in downtown right now, and he’d like to meet you.” And so they went down.

N: Got it. And so how involved in the filmmaking process were you? I also spoke with Eric Bana and Taylor Kitsch, and they both said they benefited immensely from speaking with you.

ML: Yes, sir. No, I was on set for most of it. There were a few times when I had to leave, but for the most part I was there, and before filming, we did a month and some change of training — I was there for that.

N: How did that training compare to actual SEAL training for the actors?

ML: We were pretty hard on them. I mean, we didn’t cut them any slack. We put the boots to them pretty quick. I mean, the learning curve was really steep. We didn’t — it wasn’t one of those “grab your hand and walk you through it” (things) — it’s basically like the real training, you know? Welcome to it.

N: Yeah. Exactly.

ML: You’re either going to make it or you’re not.

N: Hopefully, no one washed out of the film.

ML: No, no, no. Those guys, man — they’re tough. They all put out real, like they should have.

N: You guys were in New Mexico, correct?

ML: Yes, sir.

N: I can imagine that must be difficult as well, especially with the additional elevation.

ML: Yes, sir. Not only with the movie and the filming the actors themselves, you’ve got to haul all the equipment up and down every day and everything like that, so sun up to sun down, everybody was in there. The actors would have to do their thing, all day long, and then at the end of the day they were carrying equipment down the mountain. Everybody was putting out like they should have, nobody was better than anybody else, saying “I’m so-and-so, I don’t need to do that. That’s not what I’m here for.” That never happened. Everybody was there; it was a real team environment, so it was a pleasure to be there.

N: Yeah.

ML: I’ve heard horror stories of other movies, but that wasn’t the case on this one.

N: Yeah, it sounds like everyone was taking it very seriously, especially — I was reading Mark Wahlberg’s comments from AFI, and it really comes through how important of a project this was to everyone involved.

ML: Yes, sir.

N: So, may I ask how true to life is the film adaptation? Are you pleased with the results? Obviously you need to make certain changes for the big screen, but it seemed like it was trying to be a pretty faithful adaptation.

ML: Sure, absolutely. I mean, we could obviously only take so much from real life and put it into a book, you know, and you can only take so much from a book and put it into a movie. They had to condense that down to where they had — there’s so much to deal with in Hollywood, the monetary thing, the time constraints, the locations, stuff like that, and the overall safety of the actors and the crew, as well. So with all those variables thrown into the pot, I think they did an outstanding job with what they had to work with, in my opinion. I sat in on a lot of the movie previews for people, and sat in the back of the room and listened to them, and watched their reactions. I think overall people are blown away by what they see on the screen, and you’ve got to think that it hits home to them, that this is just a movie. I can only imagine what it was like for these guys in real life.

N: Yeah, exactly. It was a very compelling, harrowing movie. One thing that I really thought it did well is — and this is a pitfall that I find a lot of these things can fall into sometimes — it wasn’t about the politics, it wasn’t about any of that stuff. It was about the sense of brotherhood and camaraderie between these men, and I thought that really shone through.

ML: You’re the first one to ask me that. Let’s see. [pauses a moment] You know, just the overall being out there was good. Every day was something new. It was just really fulfilling to be out there with those guys. To tell you the truth, in the beginning, before I had met anybody, Ben Foster and I talked on the phone. He said he was driving down to go to Dallas to get his truck, and he was driving to New Mexico. I said, “I’ll tell you what. I’ll drive up to Dallas, I’ll meet you there, and I’ll ride to New Mexico with you.” Now I had never met this guy, I had talked to him for five minutes on the phone, and he was like, “Sure!” And you know, as well as I do, long road trips with people? You have to like them!

N: Oh god, yes.

ML: Otherwise it’s going to be miserable, and that’s what we were kind of joking around, like we’re either going to be brothers at the end of this, or one of us is going to be lying dead in the desert.

N: Yeah. [chuckles]

ML: And we drove up — I met him at a gas station, and we shook hands. “I’m Ben.” “I’m Marcus.” I was, like, “Let’s roll these wheels, buddy! Let’s put some distance in.” And we started chatting it up, and whatever, however many days it took us to get there, it turned into a great friendship. He and I are closer than anybody. I love that guy. He’s a wonderful man, and we had a really good time doing that, and it could have gone completely the opposite direction.

N: Thank goodness! [laughs]

ML: And that’s how it started. It started right there, and it just stayed constant throughout the whole film.

N: Well, that’s good.

ML: It was good, yeah.

N: That’s important. I definitely feel you on that road trip dynamic, because that can turn nasty quickly, and that’s not a good scene. I’m glad that you had the opposite experience.

N: Would you ever have imagined that you were going to be played on screen by Mark Wahlberg someday?

ML: No, I wouldn’t. Come on! You know the answer to that question! I was just doing what I was doing. I was Navy SEALing. I like watching him. I mean, I grew up watching him.

N: Yeah.

ML: When we talk about that — I mean, we’re friends now, and everything, but we kind of grew up together. We’re almost the same age, so it’s funny watching… we were talking about how our lives have evolved, from when we were teenagers and we kind of had similar backgrounds. I mean, me being a farm boy and him being a city boy, but other than that. And now we’re parents and family men, and stuff like that, and obviously you can watch his whole life, from the time he was young till the time now, it’s all been on TV and news and all that, where mine has all been classified, and stuff like that. It was a unique experience, and he and I are good friends, and it was a privilege to watch him work.

N: That’s great. And I know that nowadays you spend a lot of time traveling around with The Patriot Tour, but for those of us who might not be aware, I was wondering if you could tell us a little about that.

ML: It’s me and a few other veterans. We go around the country and we talk about our experiences in the military. It’s a motivational thing, like the other guy is a single-leg amputee, I got shot, one of them is the widow of Chris Kyle, who was killed — he was actually murdered. But it’s a really motivational, real-truth behind what’s going on in the war zone kind of deal. Motivational — how do you get through it, perseverance kind of deal. It’s a lot of fun.

N: Yeah, I can imagine. I have some friends who have served and are currently serving, so I imagine that it’s nice to hear from guys who’ve actually been there and seen it, what they might be in for.

ML: Sure, yeah. Absolutely.

N: That’s all I have here, but thank you very much. I really appreciated talking to you, and I really quite enjoyed the film, so I thank you very much, and have a great day.

ML: Yeah, bro, you too, man. Thanks for your time.

—

Lone Survivor is in select theaters now and in theaters everywhere on January 10, 2014. For more on Marcus Luttrell, you can visit his website.

]]>http://nerdist.com/meet-the-man-behind-lone-survivor-marcus-luttrell/feed/9Upcoming WARCRAFT Movie Cast Revealedhttp://nerdist.com/upcoming-warcraft-movie-cast-revealed/
http://nerdist.com/upcoming-warcraft-movie-cast-revealed/#commentsThu, 05 Dec 2013 01:45:31 +0000http://www.nerdist.com/?p=100293Be you Horde or Alliance, today’s Warcraft news should sit pleasantly in your heart if you’re a fan of the series. Legendary Entertainment has just announced the cast for the upcoming Warcraft movie, which is set to begin production in Vancouver during January of 2014. Thus far, Ben Foster, Travis Fimmel, Paula Patton, Toby Kebbell, and Rob Kazinsky have all been revealed as cast members via Twitter.

The highlight of the casting decisions would definitely have to be Rob Kazinsky, whom you may know from his roles in Pacific Rim and HBO’s True Blood. He’s actually a big time World Of Warcraft player, referring to the game as his “ultimate job” after boasting over 463 days played. The fact that he still has time to turn in stellar performances on the big screen with so many WoW hours logged in is madly impressive.

As a career WoW player, 463 days /played, it’s pretty much my ultimate job. proud to be a part of something that is such a major part of me.

As far as the plot for the Warcraft movie, all we know is obvious, like the fact that it will take place in Azeroth and feature the many familiar races of the Horde and Alliance like orcs and night elves (although it’d be nice to see a panda or two).

Are you excited about about newly revealed cast members? Let us know your thoughts down in the comments!

]]>http://nerdist.com/upcoming-warcraft-movie-cast-revealed/feed/32The Beat Generation Gets Deadly Serious in the KILL YOUR DARLINGS Trailerhttp://nerdist.com/the-beat-generation-gets-deadly-serious-in-the-kill-your-darlings-trailer/
http://nerdist.com/the-beat-generation-gets-deadly-serious-in-the-kill-your-darlings-trailer/#commentsWed, 04 Sep 2013 18:29:04 +0000http://www.nerdist.com/?p=88430Remember all those fond memories you had of reading Jack Kerouac’s On The Road in high school? Or admiring Allen Ginsberg’s beard on the book jacket cover of Howl? Or being weirded out by just how many times William S. Burroughs used the phrase “opalescent pearl of cum” in Naked Lunch (Trust me, it’s a lot)? Well, Kill Your Darlings, the new film from Sony Pictures Classics directed by John Krokidas, starring Daniel Radcliffe, Dane DeHaan, Jack Huston, Ben Foster, and more, follows all of those writers during their formative years before they became the beacons of the Beat Generation. As is the case with any good coming of age story, there’s sex, lies, manipulation, and a murder most foul. Check out the debut trailer below.

Of particular note, Daniel Radcliffe continues to impress as he seeks to shed his Boy Wizard image for edgier, more adult fare, and from what we’ve seen so far in the trailers for Kill Your Darlings, he’s taking to Allen Ginsberg like a Beater to a Bludger. And with a cast including Jack Huston, Dane DeHaan, Michael C. Hall, Elizabeth Olsen, and more, he’s in good company. Here’s the official synopsis:

KILL YOUR DARLINGS is the previously untold story of murder that brought together a young Allen Ginsberg (Daniel Radcliffe), Jack Kerouac (Jack Huston) and William Burroughs (Ben Foster) at Columbia University in 1944, providing the spark that would lead to their Beat Revolution. This is the true story of friendship and murder that led to the birth of an entire generation.

What do you think of the trailer? Are you excited for the film? Let us know in the comments below!